


Neighbourhood Walks

by TenderOrange



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Genderbending, Lesbian, M/M, Multi, Slow Burn, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:41:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23880232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TenderOrange/pseuds/TenderOrange
Summary: Everybody has a soulmate. But Allison and Arthur are at a new school - again - and after a long string of "soulmates", Allison decides it's bullshit.Hadley is 16, and convinced she's found her soulmate in long term girlfriend Penelope.As Hadley and Allison begin to draw closer, they both wonder if maybe they've got it wrong.Apollo -> Allison (lesbian)Hades -> Hadley (lesbian)Persephone -> Penelope (bi)Artemis -> Arthur (gay)Set in 2019, everyone is 16 starting year 12 (second to last year) in high school in New Zealand. (Hence the archive warning.16 is the age of consent in NZ, but they're still under 18.)
Relationships: Apollo/Hades, Hades/Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is more like an insight into Allison and Hadley's frames of mind at the start of the book. Feel free to skip to the next chapter!

Everybody has a soul mate. It’s been proven. We all know it. And Hadley, at age 16, had already found hers. She knew nobody else could ever make her feel like this, so all consumed. All she ever thought about was Penelope. The way she smiled whenever she saw her, the light, soft touch of her skin, the way their hands fit together perfectly. Hadley could listen to her speak for hours, days, years. Penelope was a drug and she was hooked. Always waiting for that next touch, kiss, even just conversation. Being with her felt like magic, and Hadley knew she would break every rule for her, do whatever she said. 

What is that, if not a soulmate?

***

At this point, Allison is 99.9% sure that soulmates are bullshit. Some global, government conspiracy to keep everyone hopeful. Four times now Allison has found “the one”. Fallen head over heels, love drunk, can’t get enough of them. And they love her back! Late night messages, beach, movie, picnic dates. Frankly she was running out of ideas for dates she hadn’t done with some past ex. Everything would feel so perfect, even in the hard times. During a breakdown they would be there to comfort each other, when it was hard to see each other they found ways to stay in touch. They always knew what to do, because they were **_right_ ** for each other. Yet every time, it ended. One day everything would feel like a fairytale, and the next they’re gone. And Allison never really understood why. When she broke up with someone, it’s because she realised she didn’t have feelings for them anymore. Or worse, didn’t even like them as a friend anymore. Which lead to some very awkward avoidances at school. Whatever the case, it was because whatever “magic” was there, was gone. But when Allison was the dumpee, not the dumper, she never saw it coming. One day they’d be laughing, cuddling, meeting the parents. No problems mentioned. Then the next day, boom, done. We’re over. Out of the blue. At first, she’d be really sad. Crying, begging for them to take her back, eating mountains of chocolate. Then a fading ache. After a week, she couldn’t even remember what it felt like. She knew she _had_ felt it. So completely enamoured and carefree. But the feeling of that deep pull, though she knew she’d had it, was gone. It made her question whether she had ever felt anything at all. 

One week, and she’d moved on. From the same person she’d said was her “soulmate”.

Yeah. It’s bogus. 


	2. Summer Lovin’ - Hadley

**Penny💰 💖**

  
  


_ Hey, you free sometime this week? _

_ I dunno, my parents won’t tell me _ _   
_ _ what’s happening. _

_ Okay, well. I’m not doing anything, lol. So,  
w _ _ hatever day you’re free, come over. _

_ My parents are both working, no siblings… _

_ Perfect for sitting 6 feet apart and watching  
m _ _ ovies! :) _

_ Kidding. _

_ Hellooooooooooo? _

It never felt uncomfortable in the moment to triple, quadruple text Penny, she was my safe place. I knew she wouldn’t judge me. But looking back at them always made me feel like an absolute loser. I put my phone down before 5 messages turned into 20. Wait, no. Check the time first. 12:00pm. Fuck. 

Way too early to go to sleep.

I’m not even tired, I’m just bored. I don’t want to make plans with anyone else in case it ends up being the one day Penny’s free, but man. Sitting home alone all day is boring as hell. No one else really seems to get it. They say how they wish that was them, nothing to do except watch Netflix. Sure, a few days is cool. A few weeks makes you want to stick your head through a wall and beg school to come back. It’s not Penny’s fault that she has a life and I don’t, but I really miss her.

I give in and check my phone again.

**Penny💰 💖**

_ Hi! Sorry. I’ll come over Wednesday. 10ish? _

_ YES!!!! _

_ Haha, okay!! Can’t wait to see you. I love you  _ **💖**

_ I love you too  _ **💖💖**

_ Hey, double hearts? No fair _

_ Way fair. See you then  _ **💖💖💖💖**

_ No! Wait! I need to outheart you!! Stop!!!! _

_ You WISH you could outheart me   
_ **💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖**

**💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖**

  
  


Okay, maybe today doesn’t totally suck after all.

I can handle two days of nothing if Penny’s at the end of it.

**

All morning I’d been waiting for Penelope to knock at the door, yet when she did I almost missed it. 10 had changed to “sometime between 9:45 and 11”, so I’d decided that instead of waiting at the door like a sad puppy dog, as per usual, my time would be better spent with my actual dog.

“Hey, sorry!” I exclaim while trying to both open the door and hold back Cerberus. “I was playing with Cerbie, he’s missed you!” Penelope chuckles as she squeezes through the door gap, kicking it behind her. “Oh yeah, it’s Cerbie that’s missing me huh?” She says as she bends down to give him a good scratch behind the ear. 

“Definitely not someone whose name starts with H?” 

“H? Whose name starts with H, that’s just stupid. Can you kiss me?” She grins at that, and stands back up. “Wow, you are not patient at  _ all _ are you?” I laugh, but mainly to cover up how desperate just looking at her makes me. Without laughter I think a whine would’ve escaped my mouth, and that would’ve given her enough material to tease me for  _ months _ . It’s embarrassing, but I’m a sucker for her.

“Okay but seriously are you gonna kiss me now cause-” and before I can decide what reason to give, she’s pushed my back against the wall. And before I can let out some cocky remark to try and save face from my extremely desperate behaviour, her mouth is on mine.

Books always seem to talk about how all your thoughts “melt away” when you’re kissing someone. Mine just seem to multiply. A kiss feels like an eternity as my thoughts have started moving at the speed of light.

Thoughts like:

    * Oh god what should I be doing with my lips (a recurring thought approx every 0.5 seconds)
    * Is that her tongue?
    * Wait, is my tongue in her mouth?
    * Shit, my hands have just been at my sides this whole time, should I be doing something with them? If so, what? 
    * This is good
    * This is bad



  * **_This is what it should be like everytime_**



  * I need _more_ \- oh her teeth just banged into me
  * How do I make her stop eating my face, while continuing to kiss her?
  * Is she enjoying this?
  * Am I eating her face without realising it?
  * Is she trying to say or signal something?
  * WOAH WHAT- oh it’s her hand. Not a ghost. 



Don’t get me wrong, I am a  _ very _ big fan of kissing. My brain just feels like a bit of a whirlpool at the same time. Luckily for me, Penny always takes control, which means slightly less things for me to worry and overthink about. So even though it’s my house, it’s her that slowly pulls us away from the wall, and navigates us around a still very excited Cerberus. She’s the one that pulls us down the hallway into the living room. So we can pretend we’re watching TV. Our mouths disconnect as she pushes me onto the couch and grabs the remote, and already I miss touching her. “Whaddya wanna watch?” She says, and I’m disappointed as she sits down next to me, and not in my lap. “Okay. I’m going to make a suggestion, but you’re not allowed to make fun of me, and you have to wait until I have finished the suggestion to make any comments on it.” 

“My curiosity has definitely peaked.” Her eyes are shining, already trying to contain the laugh she knows is coming, a small smile lying on her lips.

She looks so beautiful.

It almost feels crass to say anything now. I love seeing her happy, and I love  _ being _ the reason she’s happy. This should be what every day is like.

I’ve now been silent for a weirdly long amount of time.

I clear my throat. “We, uh, we should watch Mean Girls.” Yeah. That felt really crass. 

But the laughter was already bursting out of her before I said ‘Girls’. “Who are you and what have you done with Hadley? The indie movie snob that I love so much? Where has she gone! I thought I would have had to tie you to a chair for this day to come!” She goes to tackle me, and I try and crawl into a small ball of shame. As if being tinier will change anything. She grips onto me, trying to peel me open and out of my spherical state. I start rolling to try and get her off me, and suddenly I’m falling.

I’m on the floor.

We can’t stop laughing.

“Okay,” I say, still breathing hard, a hint of laughter in my voice “okay. So the reason I was thinking Mean Girls, is because I didn’t want it to be a movie I’d be interested in watching.” Half lie. I’ve wanted to see it since the musical came out. But that is  _ way _ too geeky to admit. And also not my main point. “I was thinking we could do, like, strip Mean Girls. Like, every time someone says “Regina” or “Regina George” we have to take off an item of clothing.” I think my face must look like a tomato by the time I’ve finished talking. Nothing we haven’t talked about before, nothing we haven’t  _ done _ before. Still embarrassing as hell. 

“Do you even know who that is? And also, how is it that you know that her name is said approximately a billion times?” I give her arm a lazy swat with my hand. But I’m glad that it’s only my pop culture knowledge she questions.

“I’m not a grandpa, I’m on the internet. Gimme a break. But if you don’t want to-”

“Oh I  _ absolutely _ want to.” She says as she pulls me up from the floor and onto her lap, putting on the movie. 

And that’s how I spent my summer. Kisses and strip games, my skin on hers, laughter and comfort and love. And in the days inbetween, I was missing her. Alone at home, scared to make plans in case it meant not being able to spend time with her. Being so bored with nothing to do. 

But she’s my soulmate. 


End file.
